*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of clive

From Middle English cliven, from Old English clīfan (“to cleave, adhere, stick”), from Proto-West Germanic *klīban, from Proto-Germanic *klībaną (“to glue, stick”), from Proto-Indo-European *gleybʰ- (“to lubricate, stick

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

To climb; ascend.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English cliven, from Old English clīfan (“to cleave, adhere, stick”), from Proto-West Germanic *klīban, from Proto-Germanic *klībaną (“to glue, stick”), from Proto-Indo-European *gleybʰ- (“to lubricate, stick”). Cognate with Dutch kleven (“to adhere, stick”), German kleben (“to adhere, stick”), Swedish kliva (“to climb, stalk”), Icelandic klífa (“to climb, ascend”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "cliven"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English cliven"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "clīfan",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to cleave, adhere, stick"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English clīfan (“to cleave, adhere, stick”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*klīban"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *klīban"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*klībaną",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to glue, stick"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *klībaną (“to glue, stick”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*gleybʰ-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to lubricate, stick"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *gleybʰ- (“to lubricate, stick”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "kleven",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to adhere, stick"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch kleven (“to adhere, stick”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "kleben",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to adhere, stick"
      },
      "expansion": "German kleben (“to adhere, stick”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "kliva",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to climb, stalk"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish kliva (“to climb, stalk”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "klífa",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to climb, ascend"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic klífa (“to climb, ascend”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "cliven",
      "cliven#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "clīfan",
      "clifan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*klīban",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/klīban"
    ],
    [
      "*klībaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/klībaną"
    ],
    [
      "*gleybʰ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/gleybʰ-"
    ],
    [
      "kleven",
      "kleven#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "kleben",
      "kleben#German"
    ],
    [
      "kliva",
      "kliva#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "klífa",
      "klífa#Icelandic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To climb; ascend."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ],
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    }
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Burdock or agrimony.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English *clive (in compound: Middle English garclive), from Old English clīfe (“clifers (cleavers), burdock”), from Proto-West Germanic *klībā. Cognate with Middle Dutch kleve, klijve (“burdock”), Middle Low German klive (“burdock”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mention*cliveenm
  • Inherited-form mentionclīfeang · clifers (cleavers), burdock
  • Inherited-form mention*klībāgmw-pro
  • Cognate mentionklevedum
  • Cognate mentionklivegml
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "*clive"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English *clive"
    },
    {
      "name": "m+",
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "garclive"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English garclive"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "clīfe",
        "t": "clifers (cleavers), burdock"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English clīfe (“clifers (cleavers), burdock”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*klībā"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *klībā"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "dum",
        "2": "kleve"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Dutch kleve"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gml",
        "2": "klive",
        "3": "",
        "4": "burdock"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Low German klive (“burdock”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*clive",
      "Reconstruction:Middle English/clive"
    ],
    [
      "garclive",
      "garclive#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "clīfe",
      "clife#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*klībā",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/klībā"
    ],
    [
      "kleve",
      "kleve#Middle_Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "klijve",
      "klijve#Middle_Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "klive",
      "klive#Middle_Low_German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Burdock or agrimony."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "c898ac8938250f3331ce0bc85a0ecff239bb5120bff37bffe24f3c878b00de12",
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}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
verb

To split; separate; cleave; chop.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English cliven, from Old Norse klyfja, klufða (“to split, chop, cleave”), from Proto-Germanic *kleubaną (“to split, pick”), from Proto-Indo-European *glewbʰ- (“to cut, carve, peel”). Cognate with Old English clēofan (“to cleave, split, separate”). Doublet of cleave.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "cliven"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English cliven"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "klyfja"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse klyfja"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*kleubaną",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to split, pick"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *kleubaną (“to split, pick”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*glewbʰ-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to cut, carve, peel"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *glewbʰ- (“to cut, carve, peel”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "clēofan",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to cleave, split, separate"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English clēofan (“to cleave, split, separate”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cleave"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of cleave"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "cliven",
      "cliven#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "klyfja",
      "klyfja#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "klufða",
      "klufða#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "*kleubaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/kleubaną"
    ],
    [
      "*glewbʰ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/glewbʰ-"
    ],
    [
      "clēofan",
      "cleofan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "cleave",
      "cleave#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To split; separate; cleave; chop."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for clive →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Y2xpdmU